This was my final draft of my Magazine cover. Firstly i decided that the writing i had in Black was difficult to read from a small distance away and didn't really follow the colour scheme very well. I chose to change it to white as that stands out and is alot easier to read from a distance. I changed the shape of my  plug in the corner as i decided the shape i previously use was too rigid and unprofessional. Some other students pointed out that i had missed out some punctuation on some of my cover-lines so i corrected my mistakes there. I added a date and an issue number to make my magazine look more professional. I removed some words from my magazine cover to make it look more minimalist and make people want to actually open my magazine. I think this final draft is a lot better that than my first attempt even though i only changed it in a small way. I have asked other students and they have said they prefer this magazine cover as it looks a lot more friendly than it did before.

Here are some of the ideas that i have had for cover lines.


- Exams in January and how to be prepared!


- Enter this weeks competition!


- Half price tickets to gigs? Find out how!


- You could be on the cover of the next College Life Magazine!


- Free college map poster!

This was my first attempt at a front cover. I haven't followed my flat plans exactly as i had planned to originally as i have left out certain things such as Price and Barcode. The cover looks abit empty at the moment and in my next attempt i will try to fill out the space with more Plugs and possibly more taglines. My main image that i have used is at a medium close-up angle but could be better if it was taken in better lighting conditions. It was quite difficult deciding where to put my tag-lines so that it didn't cover up my image. I like how i have used to colours to make the important text stand out and drawing attention towards it. I like the details such as the bullet points that i made myself using the circle tool and also using a different shape for my plug. I have asked fellow students on what they think about my work and i have been told that the brightness of the magazine makes it eyecatching. Some students have critisised some colour and i will take this into consideration. I believe this is a good first attempt, although it does need improvement it gives me a good guideline for what i want my final piece to look like.

These are a few examples of Mastheads that i may use. I have decided that i am most likely going to be using Wide Latin so this shows a few different colour choices and other things such as stroke width. I have also asked a few students which Masthead they would prefer on the front cover of a college magazine.

This was my first choice for a masthead. I believe it is a good choice as it catches peoples attention when they read it. One of the downsides of this font could be that pink is seen as a girls colour so boys may not be interested in reading this magazine.



After deciding the previous font may be too focused on a female audience, i decided to draft a different masthead. Blue is a neutral colour so it would attract both genders of my target audience. Although blue seems abit lifeless and boring and thats not what i want people to think my magazine is like.


I wanted an eyecatching title so in this masthead i used non complimentary colours to attract the attention of students. This may be too different for some peope and may be seen as unappealing if placed on a magazine cover.





This was my final draft of a masthead and i think its very effective as it may be black which is seen as a boring colour. Although the pink outline makes it stand out more and gives it a 'neon' feel which suggests fun and excitement.


After asking other students about which masthead they think would be best for the front cover. They decided that my last one was the best choice for the reasons that i have stated. Its different and exciting but not too outrageous, this makes it the perfect choice for my front cover. 

Flatplans for my magazine cover

Preliminary Proposal


My magazine shall be aimed at college students both male and female. Traditionally college students are around the age of 16-18 so i shall be aiming my product at that age range. The typical content of my magazine will contain information on college events, any changes that the students may be experiencing within the college. I will also include information on competitions that students can take part in to win prizes also i will include information on universities and students loans. A few ideas i have for my magazines title are "College Your Way" "College Life" "Student News" "The Students Guide". I decided to choose "College Life" as i believe this is the title that my target audience will most relate to and make them want to read my magazine.


So far i have thought i might use fonts such as Times New Roman or possibly Wide  Latin. I have decided i will be using Wide  Latin because it stands out and i think it represents my target audience more than Times New Roman as it is large, different and full of life. My magazine will be released just after every half term as i think this will be the time when students have finished all their work over the break and will be ready to return to college and find out if any changed have happened while they have been away. I will be using an image of a student most likely at a medium close-up camera angle. This image would be the best to use as it shows that other students are involved and shows that the students can relate to the magazine.


I have decided i will release my magazine in A4 format, this means that the magazine could be easily carried in most bags so that the students would not feel encumbered by it. The colours i shall be using on my front covers will be bright and vibrant. Possibly using Pinks and Blacks
because these colours would make the magazine stand out differently to any other magazine and would appeal to both genders of my target audience.

IPC Media research:

IPC Media produces over 60 iconic media brands, with print alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men – almost 26 million UK adults – while their websites collectively reach over 20 million users every month. 

Pinpointing exactly how far IPC's roots stretch back into the midst of publishing history is a complicated business. The International Publishing Corporation Ltd was formed in 1963 following the merger of the UK's three leading magazine publishers – George Newnes, Odhams Press and Fleetway Publications – who came together with the Mirror Group to form the International Publishing Corporation (IPC). And IPC Magazines was created five years later, in 1968. But those three original magazine businesses each had their own illustrious history, having been established in 1881, 1890 and 1880 respectively, with a number of the titles they launched in the late 19th Century still being published today under the IPC umbrella. And when The Field, launched in 1853, joined the IPC stable in 1994 following the acquisition of Harmsworth Magazines, it saw their family tree reach back even further.

IPC media produce such magazines as

Nuts

NME

Look

Marie Claire

TV easy

And loads more.

IPC Media groups its current titles under three magazine divisions each focusing on a core audience.

Connect - IPC Connect's brands provide powerful reach, with its magazines read by 49% of all mass market women – that's eight million mass market women, while its digital brands reach 2.7 million adults. Connect's audience of mass market women are highly valuable and responsive main shoppers, responsible for the vast majority of UK purchasing decisions Mass market women

Southbank - IPC Southbank is the upmarket women's division, focusing on the two key markets of Fashion & Women's Lifestyle and Home Interest. Southbank is home to some of the most iconic magazine brands in publishing. Southbank provides a magazine for every stage in a woman's life. Their magazines offer unrivalled breadth and reach in the upmarket women's market, delivering a readership base of over nine million across two key sectors: Fashion & Women's Lifestyle and Home Interest.

Inspire - IPC Inspire is IPC's men's division. Its portfolio of 38 brands covers a huge spectrum of interests and includes famous names from Country Life and The Field to Nuts and NME.